is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

in western

Toyama Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Toyama Prefecture has a population of 1,044,588 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,247.61 km2 (1,640.01 sq mi). Toyama Prefecture borders Ishikawa Prefecture to the ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. , the city had an estimated population of 48,275 in 17632 households, and a population density of 210 persons per km². Its total area is . Himi is known primarily for its

commercial fishing Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must often ...

industry. The city was founded on August 1, 1952.

Geography

Himi is in the far northwestern Toyama Prefecture, and is bordered by

Ishikawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu island. Ishikawa Prefecture has a population of 1,140,573 (31 October 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,186 km2 (1,616 sq mi). Ishikawa Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture to ...

(the

Noto Peninsula The Noto Peninsula (能登半島, ''Noto-hantō'') is a peninsula that projects north into the Sea of Japan from the coast of Ishikawa Prefecture in central Honshū, the main island of Japan. The main industries of the peninsula are agricultur ...

to the west and north, and the

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it h ...

(

Toyama Bay is a bay located on the northern shores of the Hokuriku region of Honshu, Japan on the Sea of Japan. The bay borders Toyama and Ishikawa prefectures. The bay is known for the mirages on the horizon during the winter months and for being a spaw ...

) to the east. Much of the area is a dispersed settlement typical of this region of Japan.

Surrounding municipalities

*Toyama Prefecture ** Takaoka *Ishikawa Prefecture ** Nanao ** Hakui ** Hōdatsushimizu ** Nakanoto

Climate

Himi has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by mild summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Himi is 13.9 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2409 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.4 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.8 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Himi has declined over the past 40 years.

History

The area of present-day Himi was part of ancient

Etchū Province was a province of Japan in the area that is today Toyama Prefecture in the Hokuriku region of Japan. Etchū bordered on Noto and Kaga Provinces to the west, Shinano and Hida Provinces to the south, Echigo Province to the east and the Sea ...

. The town of Himi was created within

Imizu District, Toyama was a district located in Toyama Prefecture, Japan. As of 2003, the district had an estimated population of 57,362 and a density of 747.39 persons per km2. The total area was 76.75 km2. Before the dissolution on October 31, 2005, the distric ...

with the establishment of the municipalities system on April 1, 1889. Izumi District was divided on March 29, 1896 into Izumi District and Himi District. The town annexed the neighboring villages of Kanno and Inazumi in 1940, and the villages of Goishi, Yashiro, Yokawa in 1952. In 1953, the town further annexed the villages of Kubo, Miyata, Kamijo and Kumanashi. In 1954, Himi annexed the villages of Ao, Yabuta, Unami, Mera, Kume, Kojiro, Junicho, Hayakawa, Fuse, and Busshoji, so that in its final form it encompassed the entire district of Himi with the exception of the village of Ota (which was annexed by Takaoka).

Government

Himi has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a

unicameral Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one. Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multic ...

city legislature of 17 members.

Education

Himi has twelve public elementary schools and five public junior high schools operated by the town government, and one public high school operated by the Toyama Prefectural Board of Education.

Transportation

Railway

West Japan Railway Company , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, and ...

(JR West) -

Himi Line The is a 16.5 km (10.3 mi) railway line in Toyama Prefecture, Japan, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). It connects Takaoka Station (Toyama), Takaoka Station in Takaoka, Toyama, Takaoka with Himi Station in Himi, Toyama, Him ...

** -

Highway

* Nōetsu Expressway * *

Regional Specialties

* Himi Udon * Himi Buri * Himi Beef * Himi Iwashi * Himi Curry * Kintsuba * Himi Hatomugi Tea * Cold Yellowtail

Points of interest

Himi Seaside Botanical Garden The is a botanical garden located at 3583 Banchi, Tanagida, Himi, Toyama, Japan. It is open daily except Tuesdays; an admission fee is charged. The garden opened in 1996 beside Matsudae-no-Nagahama, a seaside promenade along a beach of white san ...

* Himi Banya * Shimao Seaside Park * Ōzakai Cave Dwelling Site, a National Historic Site * Yanaidanu-no-Oyama Kofun, a National Historic Site * Asahi Shell Mound, a National Historic Site

References

External links

Official Website
Cities in Toyama Prefecture Populated coastal places in Japan {{Toyama-geo-stub